Wins and Losses for Outgoing Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Liberian President Ellen Johnson with former U.S. President George W. Bush. Photo credit: Poetry for Peace

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of Liberia, addresses the 2008 United Methodist General Conference on April 29 in Fort Worth, Texas. Sirleaf is a United Methodist and the first female head of state in Africa.

As Liberians head to the polls to elect their new president, the rest of Africa is sending farewell messages to the first democratically elected African female President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, whose second term comes to an end in a week’s time.

Sirleaf has been the President of Liberia since 2006 following 14 years of a deadly civil war during the reign of the now incarcerated former President Charles Taylor, who was ousted by rebels in 2003.

Over the 12-year period she has been in office, the 78-year-old of head of state has received numerous accolades and condemnations in almost equal measure. There are those who believe she has achieved many great things for her country and there are those who criticize her for not living up to their expectations.

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Joel Cholo Brooks is a Liberian journalist who previously worked for several international news outlets including the BBC African Service. He is the CEO of the Global News Network which publishes two local weeklies, The Star and The GNN-Liberia Newspapers. He is a member of the Press Union Of Liberia (PUL) since 1986, and several other international organizations of journalists.